My Grandmother Always Sticks Cloves in the Onion – Here’s Why This French Technique Changes Everything

The first time I noticed it, I was maybe eight years old.

I was sitting at my grandmother’s kitchen table, feet dangling, watching her cook the way she always did—quietly, confidently, without recipes. She reached for an onion, peeled it, and then did something strange. She picked up a handful of cloves and carefully pushed them into the onion’s surface, one by one, like tiny nails.

I remember asking, “Why are you hurting the onion?”

She laughed. “I’m not hurting it,” she said. “I’m teaching it how to behave.”

At the time, that answer made no sense. Years later, it makes perfect sense.

That onion—studded with cloves—is called an oignon piqué, a humble but powerful French cooking technique that quietly transforms soups, sauces, and stocks. It’s subtle, elegant, and deeply traditional. And once you understand why it works, you’ll never cook the same way again.

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What Is an Oignon Piqué?

An oignon piqué (pronounced on-yawn pee-KAY) is a whole or halved onion pierced with whole cloves, traditionally used to flavor liquids like:

• Béchamel sauce

• Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock

• Soups and stews

• Rice and grains

• Poaching liquids

Unlike chopping onions or grinding spices, this technique allows flavor to infuse gently, without overpowering the dish.

It’s one of those techniques that looks almost too simple to matter—until you taste the result.

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A Technique Rooted in French Culinary Tradition

The oignon piqué comes from classical French cuisine, the foundation of much of Western cooking today. Long before blenders, spice grinders, and powdered seasonings, cooks relied on whole ingredients to build flavor in a controlled way.

French cuisine is obsessed with balance. Nothing should shout. Everything should whisper.

The onion brings sweetness.
The clove brings warmth.
Together, they create harmony.

In French culinary schools, students still learn this technique early on—not because it’s fancy, but because it teaches restraint.

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Why Cloves and Onion Work So Well Together

Cloves are intense. Anyone who has accidentally bitten into one in a stew knows this.

Used incorrectly, cloves can overpower a dish with bitterness and sharpness. But when they’re embedded in an onion, something magical happens.

The Onion Acts as a Flavor Moderator

Onions contain natural sugars and moisture. As the onion cooks, it:

• Releases sweetness

• Softens the sharp edge of cloves

• Distributes flavor evenly into the liquid

Instead of tasting “clove,” you taste depth.

Slow Infusion, Not Shock

Ground spices hit all at once. Whole spices infuse gradually.

The oignon piqué allows clove flavor to:

• Develop slowly

• Remain subtle

• Stay elegant

This is why béchamel made with an oignon piqué tastes rounder, warmer, and more complete—even if you can’t identify why.

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The Role of the Oignon Piqué in Béchamel Sauce

If you’ve ever had a béchamel that tasted flat or overly milky, chances are it skipped this step.

Classic béchamel includes:

• Milk

• Butter

• Flour

• Salt

• Nutmeg

• Oignon piqué

The onion and clove infuse the milk before it’s added to the roux. This transforms plain milk into a lightly perfumed base that carries the sauce.

Without it, béchamel can taste one-dimensional.

With it, béchamel becomes luxurious.

This is the difference between functional cooking and thoughtful cooking.

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Why My Grandmother Never Chopped the Onion Instead

You might wonder: why not just chop onion and add cloves directly?

Here’s why the whole onion matters:

1. Easy Removal

Once the liquid is infused, you simply remove the onion.

No fishing for cloves.
No stray bitterness.
No surprises.

2. Cleaner Flavor

Chopped onions release sulfur compounds quickly. A whole onion releases flavor slowly, giving you sweetness without sharpness.

3. Visual Reminder

The studded onion is hard to forget in the pot. It’s a physical cue—a reminder of intentional cooking.

My grandmother used to say, “If you can see the flavor, you won’t forget it’s there.”

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How Many Cloves Should You Use?

This is where tradition meets intuition.

Classically:

• 1 medium onion

• 3 to 5 whole cloves

For subtle dishes like béchamel or rice, use 3 cloves.

For stocks or stews, 4–5 cloves add warmth without dominance.

More than that, and you risk crossing from elegance into potpourri.

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Other Dishes Transformed by This Technique

Once you start using an oignon piqué, you’ll find excuses to use it everywhere.

1. Rice and Pilaf

Add an oignon piqué to your rice cooking water.

The result?

• Fragrant rice

• No visible spices

• No overpowering taste

Perfect for dishes where rice should support, not compete.

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2. Mashed Potatoes

Warm your milk or cream with an oignon piqué before mashing.

The difference is astonishing:

• Deeper flavor

• Less need for butter

• A subtle warmth that feels nostalgic

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3. Chicken Soup

This is where the technique truly shines.

Instead of floating cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns everywhere, use:

• 1 onion

• 4 cloves

• 1 bay leaf (sometimes pinned to the onion as well)

The soup becomes clearer, cleaner, and more comforting.

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The Psychology of This Technique

There’s something deeply comforting about the oignon piqué.

It represents:

• Patience

• Intentionality

• Respect for ingredients

My grandmother never rushed meals. The studded onion sat quietly in the pot, doing its work invisibly.

In a world obsessed with shortcuts, this technique reminds us:
Flavor doesn’t need to be loud to be powerful.

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Why Modern Cooking Often Skips This Step

Many home cooks today skip techniques like this because:

• Recipes oversimplify

• Time feels scarce

• Whole spices seem intimidating

But here’s the truth:
The oignon piqué takes less than one minute to prepare.

And the payoff lasts the entire dish.

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A Technique That Teaches You How to Taste

Cooking with an oignon piqué trains your palate.

You start noticing:

• Balance instead of punch

• Warmth instead of heat

• Depth instead of spice

Once you experience that, heavy seasoning feels unnecessary.

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Variations You Can Try

While the classic version uses cloves only, traditional cooks sometimes adapt it.

Onion + Cloves + Bay Leaf

Bay leaf can be pinned to the onion using a clove—a neat trick that keeps everything together.

Shallot Version

For delicate sauces, a shallot with 2 cloves offers refinement.

Leek Version

In lighter broths, the white part of a leek can replace onion for a softer flavor.

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What This Technique Taught Me About Cooking (and Life)

As an adult, I finally understand why my grandmother loved this method.

It wasn’t just about flavor.

It was about:

• Trusting slow processes

• Letting ingredients speak

• Knowing when enough is enough

She never measured cloves. She felt them.

And somehow, it was always right.

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Why You Should Try It Tonight

The next time you make:

• Soup

• Sauce

• Rice

• Potatoes

Stick cloves into an onion.

Drop it into the pot.

Let it do its quiet work.

You may not immediately say, “Ah yes, clove.”

But you’ll say, “Why does this taste so good?”

And that’s the magic.

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Final Thoughts: Small Traditions Make Big Differences

The oignon piqué is a reminder that cooking isn’t just about feeding ourselves—it’s about carrying knowledge forward.

My grandmother learned it from her mother. I learned it from watching. Now, you know it too.

And someday, someone might watch you stick cloves into an onion and ask why.

I hope you smile and say:

“It teaches the food how to behave.”